Ethical challenges in fast fashion: the Zara case study

In today’s dynamic fashion landscape, fast fashion has emerged as a dominant influence, fundamentally altering society’s attitudes toward clothing. However, its widespread has sparked debates over its environmental, social, and ethical consequences. This study focuses on the prominent fast fashion brand Zara with a particular focus on the crisis and repercussions the firm had to manage over the years. In this thesis, a thorough analysis of the company’s crisis management and crisis management communication in response to different discriminatory allegations the firm experienced was conducted. The study is divided into three chapters. The first chapter offers an overview of fast fashion, exploring its origins, its development over the years and the ethical and environmental issues related to it, with a specific focus on the impact of neuromarketing in this context. The second chapter focuses on the company, presenting its history, corporate structure, and positioning in the fashion market. It also introduces the two crises through the lens of Coombs’ theories of crisis communication management. Specifically, the crises in June 2021 and the most recent one in December 2023 were analysed. In the final chapter, a comprehensive linguistic analysis is conducted on Zara’s crisis response statements, assessing their coherence, transparency, and overall effectiveness. The aim of this analysis is to understand the communication strategies employed and evaluate how well the firm manage critical situations. Ultimately, the chapter also explores the company’s efforts to adopt a more ethical and circular business model in response to the challenges faced over the years. In conclusion, this research aims to examine Zara’s responses to allegations and scandals, with a specific focus on the brand’s communication strategies, and evaluate the effectiveness of its approach in addressing these challenges. Additionally, it aims to evaluate whether Zara’s post-crisis initiatives have resulted in measurable progress towards a more ethical and sustainable business model.